The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Satellite broadcasting of television signals has increased in popularity. Satellite television providers continually offer more and unique services to their subscribers to enhance the viewing experience. Providing reliability in a satellite broadcasting system is therefore an important goal of satellite broadcast providers. Providing reliable signals reduces the overall cost of the system by reducing the number of received calls at a customer call center.
In satellite broadcasting systems, users have come to expect the inclusion of local channels in addition to the channels broadcast for the entire Continental United States. Collecting the channels may be performed in various manners, including providing a manned station that receives the signals. The signals may be uplinked from various locations. Providing manned stations increases the labor costs and thus increases the overall cost of the service.
The Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG) sets standards for encoded video. The MPEG-2 standard may be used for standard-definition video. An MPEG-4 encoding scheme has also been developed to support both high-definition and standard-definition video. MPEG-4 is the latest standard and newer systems use the MPEG-4 standard. However, providers of video service such as DIRECTV® also have customers that have set top boxes that only support the MPEG-2 standard.
Typically, for each type of encoding, separate equipment is provided. Encoders for MPEG-2 format and MPEG-4 format must be provided along with any associated equipment prior to uplinking. Providing separate equipment increases the floor space and thus increases the cost of providing services.